"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise, it wont be boring. "

The winter of 2015-2016 has been a tough one for me in terms of exercise. It seemed like I was fighting a persistent upper respiratory infection that fell madly and obsessively in love with my body. And I got a puppy. If you have every had a puppy, you know that they take a lot of time and attention. So between taking care of her and being sick, and the normal life distractions I found myself out of shape. And I didn't like it very much. At all.I wracked my brain to come up with a way I could get in an hour a day of exercise and still fit in my dog walk. The dog walk isn't really exercise, because with distractions, etc. I don't get my heart rate up high enough to make this cardio that means anything. I thought about running with her at the beginning of winter, but icy sidewalks and a puppy that is still learning leash manners are a recipe for disaster. I kind of put it in the back of mind and forgot about it. I found ways for her to get exercise indoors, and didn't get very much at all myself. I missed a lot of my dance classes from being sick, and at some point I got so far behind that I had no choice but to table the classes until next fall. Scrolling through Facebook one morning, inspirational powerlifting champ, and fellow dog lover Brooke Fineis had posted this article about a man who came back to life and health with the help of his dog. He lost 140 lbs. He went from sedentary to the picture of health, and regularly runs marathons now. Fortunately, I don't have so far to go, but I cried reading the article and realized I have everything that I need right in my house.​I like setting goals, so I decided to start with training for a 5K. A quick internet search lead me to this plan: Coach Jenny's Doggy 5K Run Plan.I loved the way that the plan was set up in intervals to get you and your dog up to speed in a gradual and logically building pattern. All of this on Sunday night. Monday we started.

Day One: I got home from work, and was eager to get begin. I couldn't find my sports watch that has an interval timer on it. I haven't seen it since I moved, so it might never reappear. I tried to figure out setting my phone for the intervals but it wasn't cooperating. I knew I had very limited time open in my evening, so I did something that will probably make you laugh. I counted out the intervals the old fashioned way: one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc. I am sure this sounds ridiculous, but you know what, nothing was stopping me from starting on Monday. When life throws me curves I improvise. My plan to run by the water was quickly foiled by the chilly air, but we took a pretty route through neighborhoods and past parks. I found out that my dog, KD, does wonderfully on the leash with the jog. She seems to love the pace, and is almost unaffected by the usual distractions that challenge our walks: other dogs, kids playing, people. This was so much fun. We seemed to be in sync. She was even better than she is in our usual walks in the walking intervals that followed the jogs. I'm sure that was a combination of tiring her out a bit and her understanding pacing. I used the command, "walk, " for the walking parts and, "jog," for the jogging or running parts. We walked for another half hour or so after the formal program because we are both used to about an hour or so for our walks.

Day Two: I woke up feeling great and not even a bit sore. I felt my mood at work was lifted from the experience of the night before. I couldn't wait to get home and see how our Day Two was going to go. When I got home I found a simple interval timing app for my phone that had sounds you could assign to designate intervals. Much better than, "one-one thousand...etc." I didn't let the light rain deter me even a tiny bit. As I walked KD to "go to the bathroom," she started the typical pulling and distracted behavior that I have been working to train out of her. Once we started the intervals, though, she was all business. She followed commands like a champ, and it was another great experience. We finished up just as the serious rain started. We stopped in front of the statue of St Francis, and I said a little prayer of thanks. I am not sure whether she did, but she sure seemed calm and happy out in the pouring rain. We headed home feeling good, and her behavior for the entire evening was extra good. I think we are on to something pretty darned cool here.

In a rare moment of unplanned splendor, I made no plans for my day off. Except, I was planning on going to this estate sale and walking my dog.I couldn't find the information for the estate sale on my computer, and only remembered that it was on Goundry. Well, thats easy. Goundry isnt that long of a street, Ill just drive on Goundry. I saw all the cars, , and parked mine. In an odd twist of fate I had parked in front of my first ever apartment! This was a beautiful place in an old mansion.It looks pretty much the same! I lived on the third floor. It had a purple clawfoot bathtub and bright yellow cupboards back then. Made me think of the old Barenaked Ladies song, "The Old Apartment. "

So I walked the couple of blocks to the estate sale, only to find out there was a line out in the cold. I have been to many estate sales, but I have apparently never been there on the first day when they open. Anyway, I decided to wait. I quickly made friends with my "line-mates" and it wasn't so bad. When I saw the ad for the estate sale, I was drawn in by the great photos of the "mother-load" of vintage finds. What I did not anticipate: seeing how much 'stuff' this woman had accumulated made me want to purge, not purchase. Still. I enjoyed walking around, seeing the beautiful clothes, decor, and housewares. I decided that would be my entertainment whether I purchased anything or not. Turns out, I found a few cool things and bought them:

This ring was my cup of tea and coffee. Yes, it went home on my finger.

And, finally, this ashtray. No I do not smoke. I love the look of this, the beautiful ballerina,how she is sitting at the edge of the pool. I feel like I can use it for jewelry at my bedside or something else fun.

Next, I stopped at Squires for lunch. Squires is a place that looks like you could have walked in during the 1960s and it would not have been all that different. The food is simple, as my dad would say, "gin mill" food. Still, they have a veggie burger there. And the bartender, Elaine, builds a beautiful cocktail and is lovely.

Every once in a while, I feel sorry for myself. My marriage didn't work out, I went from a house to an apartment, I had to figure some stuff out. Blah blah blah. Now, OK. Sometimes I am disappointed about the past. At the same time, I am in a place close to the water. Where I have always wanted to be. With someone who genuinely loves me. And loves me well. A brilliant, complicated, hilarious man. Who loves talking and listening. And being with me. I have a beautiful and amazing dog. I am making plans for all kinds of stuff that I had given up any hope for. And there is a lot of stuff!! Wait til you hear all of it! My life is so different now. In the summer, we walk to the water and hear music. In the winter, we take the pup to the dog park and then maybe walk around town, hear music, visit with our friends. Our apartment is in bright blissful color.We host brunches, dinner parties, cocktail parties. He welcomes not only my family and friends, but embraces people from my past who most people would forbid or eyeroll/reject. Everything, and I mean: everything, in the world is possible now. Everything. So, Universe, I don't know why you had to put me through all that, because it was fantastic, then it was excruciating, then I moved on. But OK. As Hannah Marcotti would say, #ilovethislifenow.

Her name is KD Puppy. She is a black lab/bluetick coonhound mix, at least that is the SPCA's best guess.

I have wanted a dog for all of my adult life. I lived by myself for many years, with a work schedule that would leave a poor pup home alone too much. When I was married, my ex husband was not in favor of a dog, and I feel like you need two yes votes to bring a dog in to your home.

When Peter and I first got together I told him that I had always wanted a dog. He kind of brushed it off, like maybe down the road at some point. He wasn't saying no, just not just yet. We enjoy our little adventures and wanted some time to just be "us," before bringing a dog in to our world. Finally, this past September we decided it was time to start looking. Or rather, I decided and he went along with the idea. *giggle-giggle*

The plan was that I would start visiting the SPCA, and when I found a dog that I liked I would have him come and make sure that they were a good match as well. Our plan was a 1-3 year old dog that was trained at least a bit. We did not limit ourselves to a particular breed. We felt that our dog would find us. Peter has an affinity for German Shepherds, and I have always been crazy-fond of Dalmatians. Still, we, said, our dog can be a Chihuahua or a Great Dane, or a Beagle, or a mutt.

I went to visit the SPCA a handful of times. I walked some beautiful dogs, but none of them felt like a fit. One day, I walked a very sweet pitbull mix. She was a little tough on the leash, but otherwise well behaved around other dogs and humans. I came back to walk her a second time, and she was awful. Im sure that she could be a lovely dog with some serious training, but I have no backround in dog training and both of us work full time. Nope. She was not our dog. Sadly, I went over to pet a little puppy just to cheer myself up. The puppy was friendly and affectionate and sweet. She had my heart the moment that I saw her. She had these eyes that looked right in to me while she jumped up to give me as many kisses as I could handle. "Oh, " said a woman watching me. "That's your dog."

I texted Peter to ask what he thought about the idea of a puppy. Of course, I enticingly included a picture of the adorable little peanut. He said, "could be cool," so I put her on hold so he could meet her. When the time came, she ran right up and licked his face, and he was also in love. "I've got cash on me, how do we make this happen," was all that he had to say.

If you ever decide to adopt a puppy, people will tell you that you are crazy. They chew things up, they need house training, they need a lot of exercise and play, even when the weather is horrible. All of this is true. But you know what, I don't mind taking her for walks, I love it. We keep a pretty close eye on her and divert her from chewing, but if she gets a glove or a sock, its not the end of the world. This dog has kissed away my tears when I have been inconsolable, snuggled with me and watched over me when I was sick. She sits happily at our feet while we read or watch tv. She has traveled with us beautifully. She gets me out seeing beauty on days when I would never have left the house for the cold. I have wanted a dog all of my adult life, but I never knew how deeply my heart would swell with love.

KD Puppy is seven months old. We have had her for four months, and I cannot imagine my life without her. ​​